The present invention relates to a method for modifying a driving simulator.
In recent years, as a result of increasingly radical testing restrictions, especially in racing, it has become common to carry out large portions of training in driving simulators. These driving simulators are often designed in such a manner that the athlete and or driver sits in a cockpit which is attached to a movable platform, and the driver completes training modules on computer-generated race courses. A driving simulator has great potential specifically for simulating events which arise in practice, but for which is it impossible to train, or for which training involves great expense of time and effort. Driving simulators are therefore a reasonable complement to conventional training at the racetrack or on a race course; and the greatest efficiency is achieved by a mix of different training methods.
Driving simulators allow higher training efficiency by using targeted repetition of certain situations. They allow training under highly varied conditions, such as different weather, course properties, vehicle configurations, etc., without placing wear on the actual vehicle and/or increasing the need for parts which wear down. A variety of scenarios can be simulated and repeated as often as desired. The routine recording the training modules typically allows a corresponding analysis of the training.
In the broadest sense, simulators enable action/reaction training within certain limits, and allow athletes to develop sensitivity without taking risks.
However, this is also a specific disadvantage of conventional driving simulators. In actual driving, or in an actual competition scenario, the athlete driver is exposed to a wide range of dangers which threaten the driver himself as well as the vehicle being used. Therefore, a significant factor for the driver is the elevated stress level at which he must control the vehicle during an actual driving event. Even at elevated stress levels, he must be able to make important decisions in the shortest possible period of time. However, this important aspect, which influences the behavior and the performance of the driver to a decisive degree, is particularly given no precedence within the conventional driving simulators. As a result, the result of training is significantly reduced compared to actual driving.
Of course, the problem posed by the difference between reality and training simulations is not limited only to motor sports. It applies as well to other types of sports, which is why, in the following, the driver is referred to in general as an athlete.